Trail Blazers' Deandre Ayton: Productive showing against Finland
Rotowire
Ayton posted 19 points (8-12 FG, 3-4 FT), nine rebounds, three assists and one steal across 38 minutes in the Bahamas' 96-85 win over Finland on Tuesday.
Ayton missed the final game of the NBA regular-season due to a back injury, but he will almost certainly be back in time for the start of the 2024-25 season. The 25-year-old appeared in only 55 games the entirety of last season due to a litany of injuries. These included knee and elbow tendinitis, a hand sprain and the aforementioned back injury. However, his play for the Bahamas bodes well for his healthy return to training camp and beyond.
Trail Blazers' Deandre Ayton: Won't play in finale
Rotowire
Ayton (back) has been ruled out for Sunday's regular-season finale against Sacramento.
Ayton will finish his sixth NBA season with a career-low 55 appearances. The 25-year-old averaged 16.7 points, 11.1 rebounds, 1.6 assists, 1.0 steals and 0.8 blocks in 32.4 minutes per contest when available.
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Trail Blazers' Deandre Ayton: Questionable to play Sunday
Rotowire
Ayton (back) is questionable for Sunday's game against the Kings.
Ayton left Friday's game against the Rockets due to low back soreness, and it remains to be seen whether the big man will be available for the season finale. However, it wouldn't be surprising if the Blazers elect to hold him out, as Portland has nothing to play for Sunday. Ayton heads into the regular-season finale with averages of 16.7 points and 11.1 rebounds per game across 55 starts.
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Trail Blazers' Deandre Ayton: Leaves early with back injury
Rotowire
Ayton won't return to Friday's game against the Rockets due to low back soreness. He registered six points (3-10 FG, 0-2 3Pt), two rebounds, one assist and one steal in 23 minutes before exiting.
The Blazers will likely turn to Duop Reath and Moses Brown at center for the rest of the game with Ayton unavailable. It's unclear at this time whether Ayton will be available for the regular-season finale Sunday in Sacramento.
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Trail Blazers' Deandre Ayton: Records double-double in loss
Rotowire
Ayton registered 25 points (12-24 FG, 0-1 3Pt, 1-1 FT), 11 rebounds, one assist, one block and three steals over 34 minutes during Thursday's 100-92 loss to the Warriors.
The shorthanded Trail Blazers kept things interesting thanks to a solid outing from Ayton and Jabari Walker, who combined for 27 rebounds in the loss. Scoot Henderson should join Ayton and Walker as the top producers with two games remaining. There seems to be little need for Portland to push out the myriad of injured players on the roster. Ayton battled injuries throughout the season, averaging 16.9 points, 11.2 rebounds and 1.6 assists through just 54 games.
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Trail Blazers' Deandre Ayton: Pours in team-high 30
Rotowire
Ayton accumulated 30 points (15-22 FG, 0-1 3Pt), 13 rebounds, one assist and one steal over 36 minutes during Tuesday's 110-100 loss to the Pelicans.
The 25-year-old center produced his 31st double-double of the season and his fifth straight, scoring at least 20 points in all five. In six contests since returning from an elbow injury, Ayton has averaged 24.7 points, 12.7 boards, 2.0 assists and 1.0 steals while shooting 56.0 percent from the floor.
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Trail Blazers' Deandre Ayton: Dominates in double-double outing
Rotowire
Ayton posted 34 points (13-25 FG, 8-9 FT), 13 rebounds, three assists, two steals and two blocks over 40 minutes in Friday's 108-102 win over Washington.
Ayton led all players in Friday's contest in scoring and shots made while hauling in a team-high-tying rebound total to go along with a team-best pair of blocks in a double-double showcase. Ayton set a new season high in scoring in the victory, posting his fourth game with 30 or more points. All four of Ayton's 30-point outings have occurred over his last 11 contests, and he has added 13 or more boards in each of those contests.
